Club Roller Hockey Team to Compete in National Tournament

Published: Apr 7, 2008

The University of Tampa Roller Hockey Team, a member of UT’s club
sports program, is set to compete this week in the national
championship tournament in Colorado Springs, CO.

Following a
strong showing at the southeast regional tournament for Division II of
the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association, the team was given
an at-large bid at the championship, to be held April 9-14.

“It’s amazing to get this far in this short amount of time,” said Brett
Kotcher, the team’s captain who organized the team in the fall of 2006.
“Going to nationals is huge not just for us, but for recognition of the
UT club sports program.”

Kotcher, a UT senior, started the
team through the club sports program after meeting several other
students who expressed a shared interest in the sport. Since it began,
the team has fluctuated between 10 to 15 players who meet regularly to
practice at a private skating facility.

“It’s tough to keep the team going when it’s all out of pocket,” Kotcher said. “But winning solves a lot of problems.”

The Roller Hockey team is the first of UT’s club sports teams to make
it to the national level since the club sports program started in 2004,
according to Charles Yezak, director of campus recreation. Yezak
implemented the program in order to provide interested students with
the opportunity to organize and compete in specific sports and
recreational activities.

“I felt it was important to offer
the opportunity to any group of students that wanted to start any group
of sports,” Yezak said. “It really takes student interest and
dedication to make this work.”

For more information about UT’s club sports program, contact Charles Yezak at (813) 257-3615 or e-mail cyezak@ut.edu.